An Unexpected Road Exodus 13:17-22 3-21-99

Sermon 3-21-99 Exodus13:17-22 An Unexpected Road

Life doesn't always turn out the way what you expect it to
Didn't get the job I wanted
Didn't make first chair in the band
Don't have hair anymore
Found out that meaningful living can be hard work

The Israelites had an idea of what the exodus would be like
Yet God led then down an unexpected road
Purge/eliminate some of their enemies
Teach then faithfulness; rely on God, not a land
Show them that men plan, but God makes it happen
Cause them to understand and love him

There were times when they did not like it
They were attacked by snakes
They were hungry and thirsty
Sometimes they even wanted to go back to Egypt

In all...God was with them
Pillar of cloud by day/pillar of fire by night
At the right moment, He would rise up and strike a blow for his purpose
they all had ideas about how it should work
God made it happen in his time
God's job was to lead. Their job was to follow

Sound familiar?

I remember when we voted to move
I didn't anticipate the emotional pain of leaving
I didn't anticipate the delays, cost overruns, challenges

this is not the path that I expected that we would take.
I believe that God has been teaching us things that we need to know
Preparing us to be successful
Helping us to learn patience, dependence on him
It is a different toad, but it is not a bad road

and like the Israelites, we do not go it alone
We do not see the pillar of cloud or fire...but I have seen it
I have felt it
We are not alone

God is still leading; we must discern his voice and follow

So it is true for us as individuals
When we decide to follow God, we agree to do things his way.
Our preconceived notions are challenged
We face things that frighten us.
Change is hard
How shocked were you when you figured out that everything isn't going to work the way you thought it should?
Following Christ means to learn to think and act differently
How many of our lives would be different if totally committed to him?
How many attitudes
How many marriages
How would our priorities change?
God's road is not always our road, it is a challenging rd, but a good one

Today Woods Chapel continues down the road
It is not the road we chose, but it is not a bad road
It is God's road, he is with us
Let's join our hearts and hands and take the next step
We are going the right direction
We are going to make it, we are making it
For our God goes before us.

Does it look the same/
Do the people look the same?
[join hands]
Does it feel the same?